Ambassador Dan Shapiro headed to Uvda Air Base in southern

Ambassador Dan Shapiro headed to Uvda Air Base in southern Israel to observe Blue Flag 2015, an advanced aerial combat exercise featuring the air forces of the United States, Israel, and other allies. During his visit, Ambassador Shapiro met with Israeli Air Force and Uvda Air Base commanders, toured the visiting American squadron, the 493D 'Grim Reapers' Fighter Squadron deployed from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, and observed the fighters taking off for their mission. The exercise, taking place for only the second time, is modeled after the American 'Red Flag' exercise, and is designed to simulate real-world air combat scenarios, promotes improved operational capability, combat effectiveness, and understanding and cooperation between the U.S., Israeli, and other allied air forces.